File photo / Associated PressSen. John Kerry, D-Mass., left, leans over to talk to Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass, on Capitol Hill in Washington at a hearing in June.

NEWTON – U.S. Sen. John F. Kerry said Friday his Massachusetts colleague, Sen. Scott P. Brown, should be congratulated for his decision to disclose publicly the sexual and physical abuse he suffered as a child.

Kerry said that Brown’s willingness to share very personal details about his childhood could help other victims of abuse understand that they are not alone and can talk about what happened to them.

In a book to be released next week, Brown said he was sexually abused by a camp counselor and physically abused by a stepfather. He also discussed the abuse in an interview airing Sunday on CBS television’s “60 Minutes.”

Brown, a Republican, gained national attention when he won a special election last year to replace the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.